Terminal for electric furnaces.



T. F. BAILY & F. T. COPE.

TERMINALFOR ELECTRIC FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2?| l9l5.

1 ,21 8,042. Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

W I 561 201 C o/e.

aWM/W UNTTED STATES PATENT CFFTQEQ THADIDEUS F. BAILY AND FRANK T. COPE, OF ALLIANCE, CHIC, ASSIG-NORS TO THE ELECTRIC FURNACE COMPANY, OF ALLIANCE, CHIC, A CORPCBATION OF OHIO.

TERMINAL FOB- ELECTBIC FURNACES.

Application filed April 27, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THADDEUS F. BAILY and FRANK T. Corn, citizens of the United States, both residing at Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Terminal for Electric Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

()ur invention relates to terminals for electric furnaces and has more especial reference to the class of furnaces in which a trough containing resistance material is located Within the heating chamber of the furnace, electrodes being provided within the trough for the purpose of completing an electric circuit through the resistance material.

The object of our invention is to provide a terminal, for an electric furnace, which will prevent the electrode from oxidizing at the point where it enters the furnace.

Another object of our invention is to provide means for insulating the extremity of the electrode from the furnace.

A further object is to provide a container for the extremity of the electrode, said container being filled with a refractory granular material, preferably of an oxidizable nature, such as flaked graphite, decomposed carborundum, finely powdered charcoal or the like.

A still further object is the provision of laminated terminals connected to the electrodes.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary portion of an electric furnace of the character re ferred to, the terminal being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the furnace and terminal in section.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 33, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a fragmen- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Serial No. 24,233.

tary portion of a furnace showing the end elevation of the terminal.

Similar numerals of reference indicat corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring more especially to the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the sheet metal casing which surrounds the furnace and the numeral 2 indicates the supporting frame for the heating chamber of the furnace. The heating chamber consists of the bottom wall 3, end walls l, and roof 5, the bottom and end walls being preferably formed of fire clay. The resistance trough 6 is supported in any suitable manner upon the bot tom wall 3 and is also composed of a refractory material such as fire clay or the like and contains a granular resistance material indicated by the numeral 7. Carbon electrodes 8, of the usual construction, are located within the granular resistance material in the usual manner, for the purpose of completing an electric circuit through the resistance material. So much of the construction is of the usual form in electric furnaces of the resistance type and needs no further description herein as no claim is made to the specific construction of any of the above named members.

A box 9 preferably formed of sheet metal projects into the end wall of the furnace and incloses the electrodes, a refractory granular material 10, preferably of an oxidizable material such as flake graphite, decomposed car-- borundum, finely powdered charcoal or the like being contained within the box 9 completely covering the electrodes. The outer extremity of the box 9 is supported and insulated from the furnace by means of a block 11 formed of fire clay or the like, said block bein carried upon a pair of brackets 12 whic are attached in any suitable manner to the sheet metal casing of the furnace. An opening 18 of greater dimension than the box is formed in the sheet metal casing and the inner extremity of the box is supported upon a sill 1d composed of fire clay or the like, thus insulating the entire box from the sheet metal casing of the furnace. A lining 15 of fire clay is provided within the box.-

The electrodes 8 are preferably placed in pairs as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, although one electrode may be used at each end of the trough if desired. A series of laminated strips 16'formed of copper or similar material are located upon each side of the electrodes, the upper extremities of the strips being bent at an angle and connected to the extremity of a wire or cable 17 by means of a clip 18 and bolt 19. A pair of iron or steel blocks 20 are used between the outer conductor strips 16 and the side walls of the box 9, and the blocks 20, conductor strips 16 and electrodes 8 are all clamped tightly together in the box 9 by means of a pair of clamping plates 21 and bolts 22.

By this construction there will be no danger of the carbon electrodes 8 being oxidized and burnt through at the point where they enter the furnace as the electrodes in this construction are completely surrounded by the granular refractory ox dizable material, thus preventing any a from coming in contact with the electrodes themselves, the granular material being oxidized by the action of the air and as this material. becomes oxidized it may bevery readily renewed from time to time.

Although the drawings and above specification disclose the best mode in which we have contemplated embodying our invention we desire to be not limited to the details of such disclosure, for, in the further practical application of our invention, many changes in form and construction may be made, as circumstances require or experience suggests, without departing from the spirit of the in vention, within the scope of the appended claims.

lVe claim:

1. A terminal for an el ctric furnace, comprising an electrode, a container sur rounding said electrode, a loose refractory material located in said container and entirely surrounding said electrode and means for connectin the extremity of the electrode to supply mains.

A terminal for an electric furnace, comprising an electrode, a container surrounding said electrode, an oxidizable material located in said container and entirely surrounding said electrode, and means for connecting the extremity of the electrode to supply mains.

8. A terminal for an electric furnace, comprising an electrode, acontainer surrounding said electrode, a loose, refractory, oxidizable material contained in said container andentirely surrounding said electrode, laminated conductor strips connected to a supply main and means for clamping the laminated conductor strips to the extremity of the electrode.

A terminal for an electric furnace comprising an electrode, a container surrounding said electrode, means for supporting and insulating said container from the furnace, a loose, refractory, oxidizable material contained in the container and entirely surrounding the electrode, and means for connecting the extremity of the electrode to a supply main.

5. A terminal for an electric furnace com prising an electrode, a container surrounding said electrode, a loose, refractory, oxidisable material contained in said container and entirely surrounding said electrode, laminated conductor strips connected. to a supply main, the extremities of said laminated conductor strips being located upon each side of the electrode, metal blocks located between each strip andthe adjacent side of the container, a plate located upon each side of the container, adjacent the metal blocks, and means for drawing said plates toward each other.

6. In an electric furnace, a terminal comprising an electrode, a removable container surrounding said electrode and arranged to be inserted in said furnace, a loose ref actory material located in said container and entirely surrounding said electrode and means for connecting the extremity of the electrode to a supply main.

7. In an electric furnace, a metal casing surrmmding said furnace and. provided with an aperture to receive an electrode, a removable container located through said aperture and spaced therefrom on all sides, an

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

